We all know about Yakult and how popular it has been as a high-quality probiotic drink. Probiotics are generally required by the body as it helps in maintaining a healthy gut as well as helps in digestion and also considered great for your heart and immunity system. As soon as we talk about probiotics the first food product that comes to our mind is curd which has natural probiotic properties along with other health benefits. But recently the Yakult Regular and Yakult Light probiotic drink has been famous and is considered a better probiotic than curd. Let’s see if this is actually correct.
So in this article, we will be taking a deep dive into Yakult Regular and Yakult Light and will be comparing them with curd. Let’s see if Yakult can be considered better than curd as a probiotic. Let’s begin.
Yakult Regular vs Yakult Light vs Curd – The comparison
We will be comparing Yakult Regular, Yakult Light and curd on the basis of various factors and will be determining which probiotic should you go for.
1. Food types
Yakult Regular, Yakult Light and Curd, all are fermented milk. The only difference is that Yakult Regular and Yakult Light contain water, glucose and sugar and other ingredients and curd does not have such additional ingredients.
2. Probiotic count
Every bottle of Yakult Regular and Yakult Light contains 6.5 billion bacteria but curd contains about 240 million bacteria which is much less compared to both of them.
But there is a twist to this.
The twist lies in the type of bacteria present in them. Both of the Yakult varieties contain only 1 type of bacteria known as Lcs ( Lactobacillus casei Shirota). Curd contains 250 types of bacteria.
Your gut is made up of several types of bacteria, so curd fulfills all types of bacterial requirements. So curd completely wins in this category. Quality is always a better choice than quantity.
3. Amount of Alive bacteria that can reach your intestine
Most active bacterias get killed in the journey of reaching your intestine. But the bacteria found in Yakult is a unique type of bacteria that can resist stomach enzymes and acidic conditions easily and reaches your intestine. But in curd 50%-60% of the bacteria gets killed while reaching the intestine.
Bacterias that reach the intestine can grow there and so a high amount of probiotics is not necessary for a single shot. So even if a small amount of bacteria reaches the intestine it is good for your health. Healthy bacteria multiply in number and thus this is not a problem.
4. Sugar content
1 bottle of Yakult Regular (65ml) contains about 10g of sugar. 1 bottle of Yakult Light (65ml) contains 3g of sugar. The rest of the sweetness we get from Yakult generally comes from the stevia plant extracts (Steviol Glycoside) present as an ingredient in it. The sugar content in Yakult is well maintained and acceptable.
But if we are comparing curd with Yakult, Yakult easily loses here as there is no added sugar in curd until and unless you decide on adding sugar to the curd.
5. Additional nutrients
Yakult Regular has no other additional nutrients except 0.8g of protein which is negligible.
Yakult Light contains fortified Vitamin D and Vitamin E in minimal amounts. The amount of vitamins present in Yakult light is very little and can be ignored.
Now, if we talk about curd besides being a good source of protein, it is rich in calcium, micronutrients, and various vitamins.
Read: How curd helps in weight loss and helps in improving the quality of your hair.
6. Availability
Curd is available everywhere in the world. You can even make curd at home if you know the right way. But the availability of Yakult everywhere is doubtful.
7. Which is safer?
For infants who are under 2 years old, it is possible that Yakult probiotic drink might not suit them. On, the other hand Curd has been there since the beginning and is considered great for infant babies giving them additional nutrition.
If you are diabetic you should consult your doctor before taking Yakult’s drink as it contains at least 3g of sugar. On the other hand, you can eat curd by adding stevia or sugar-free.
If you are into weight loss you can take Yakult Light. But still, I would say Dahi or curd is the better option compared to Yakult light.
8. Side effects
Both Yakult Light and Yakult regular are considered safe but overeating them can lead to side effects. The side effects include.
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Low immunity
On the other hand, Dahi has no side effects. You can never overeat Curd as 1 bowl of curd is enough to keep you full for 4-5 hours.
Too much probiotic is not good for health.
9. Pricing
5 bottles of Yakult Regular cost you around Rs 70. 5 bottles of Yakult Lite cost you around Rs 85. Both are really expensive if compared to curd.
Which is the best probiotic?
After comparing Yakult Regular, Yakult Light, and Curd it is quite clear that Curd is the best probiotic here. Be it the effectiveness of the probiotic or the nutritional advantage or the pricing, curd has the upper hand.
Only probiotics are not enough for you to live a healthy lifestyle. You can say probiotic plays a small role in the big picture. A balanced diet along with a fiber-rich diet, proper sleep, hydration, and exercise will help you to develop a healthy gut.
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